Out and About
Down on the Farm
Getting a Taste of Rural Life at Old McDonald’s Farm
by Emily Puro
Driving out of the city into the spectacular Columbia River Gorge with my son and two young neighbors, I felt as if we could be entering a different world. When we arrived at Old McDonald’s Farm (OMF) in Corbett, about 30 miles east of Portland, I realized that we had.
At OMF, farm work is a serious matter. “We’re not a petting zoo,” says executive director Stephanie Rickert. “We’re an academic program that’s very hands on with animals and agriculture, gardens and natural resources.”
A nonprofit organization that utilizes a working farm environment to “teach children respect for themselves, other people, animals and the environment,” OMF has served over 8,000 children since it opened in 1996. And while they work mainly with large school groups and “at risk” youth through structured educational programs, they also offer two Day Visit packages for small groups and families: the one-hour Duck Day Visit for preschoolers, and the two-hour Morning Chores package I scheduled for my son Richard, 5, and our neighbors Michael, 7, and Joe, 9.
Rickert quickly got down to business with a safety orientation, making it clear we were in for far more than a morning of fun and games. Even with our small group, she focused on maintaining order and control. It took us a while to get used to, but with a program that allows young children to get up close and personal with animals of all shapes and sizes, clearly maintaining order is essential.
Getting Acquainted
With the rules understood, gloves fitted and name tags in place, we ventured out to meet the animals. The boys and I were still in “zoo mode” at our first stop, hanging back and watching as Rickert bottle fed a baby goat outside its pen. She promptly changed the mood, urging the boys to step up and pet the goat. Joe was eager to oblige but the two younger boys were a bit reluctant. Inside the pen, we watched as Rickert fed the goats, checked their water, and swept out their shed. “You all will do this later on,” she told the boys, “but I’ll do the first one to show you how.” The boys exchanged glances that seemed to say, “Is she serious? We’re going to shovel poop?”
After gathering grain in the feed center – a mixture of corn, oats, barley and molasses that looked suspiciously like my breakfast – we moved on to the Pygmy goat pen where we met two adorable baby goats named Bali and Keaka. As part of the curriculum, all OMF animals are named for the geographical origins of their breeds. Bali and Keaka, whose breed originated in Cameroon, are named for two Bantu tribes of the region. The sheep, whom we visited next, are Dover (from England) and Aramea (from Syria, formerly known as Aram). Even the farm cat is geographically named. A native of Gresham, Matilda’s moniker is a tribute to the wife of Walter Q. Gresham, the city’s founder.
Getting to Work
The real work began in the sheep pen where Rickert directed the boys to sweep up the hay and droppings in the shed. Joe and Michael immediately grabbed brooms, but Richard hesitated. With no time for dilly-dallying on a farm, Stephanie told him, “Grab a dust pan. You don’t have a choice.” Knowing my sensitive son, I expected tears to flow, but instead he picked up a full-sized shovel, put all his might into it, and carried three loads from the shed to a bucket in back, beaming with pride when the job was done.
“You might decide you don’t want to be a farmer,” Rickert told the boys, “and that’s OK. We just want you to know what it takes.”
I was surprised at how engaged and enthusiastic the boys became once they started working. They gathered goose eggs, scrubbed out water bowls, “herded” chickens and learned how to pet a blind pig. By the time we got to the ducks, they knew just what to do: “Should we clean out the water bowl?” Joe asked, wasting no time waiting for instructions. And when it came time to carry buckets of eggs and grain, Richard was distraught when he thought there wasn’t anything for him to carry. “What can I do to help?” he asked urgently. Luckily, there’s plenty of work for everyone on Old McDonald’s Farm!
Learning Centers
There are eight learning centers on the farm which make up significant portions of the curriculum for visiting school groups. The centers include Chicken Chat, Great Grains and Feed Center, Goat Gab, Pygmy Wonder, Horse Power, Tool Time, Garden Growth, and Naturalist, which explores environmental issues. Different programs incorporate the centers in varying degrees of depth depending on the needs and interests of each group.
“All of the learning centers have some component of science, math, geography and life skills,” Rickert explained, noting that the curriculum for each learning center meets Oregon State requirements for Certificates of Initial and Advanced Mastery (CIM and CAM).
With only two hours and so much to see, we didn’t explore all of the learning centers. We did peek into some of them, though, complete with maps showing where the breeds originated; samples of commercial products such as wool, mohair, dairy products and meat; and other interesting tidbits related to each animal.
And we didn’t get a chance to ride any horses, much to the boys’ disappointment and my relief, but when Rickert told them they could learn to ride at OMF summer camp, their eyes lit up. (OMF runs a variety of week-long camps in July and August, offering daily transportation from downtown Portland.)
Heading Home
After a quick look at the farm store, time to climb on the old-fashioned tractor, and a nice walk out to the pasture where we saw more horses and a cow, our Morning Chores event was over. On the walk back from the pasture Richard exclaimed, “This was fun!” which was a far cry from his first exclamation of the day, “It smells like poop!”
Rickert wasn’t surprised.
“A lot of kids come here with a bad attitude,” she said. “They start out kind of grumpy, but once they get used to it, it really brings out the best in them.” While I didn’t exactly think he’d started out with a “bad attitude,” (the mother in me was more inclined to deem it normal 5-year-old shyness), I could definitely see what she meant.
Rickert gave each boy a fresh goose egg and I purchased two dozen chicken eggs to take home. When we got back to town, the boys were eager to share the day’s adventures and their giant goose eggs. Richard decided he would do a “science experiment” with his, and fearing I might find a rancid goose egg in his closet sometime next year, I suggested we scramble the goose egg and a few of the chicken eggs from the farm, then see if we could taste a difference. Happily, he agreed. We couldn’t taste the difference (although the goose egg was so stiff I could barely scramble it!): They all tasted great!
‘It’s Not a Petting Zoo’
If you want your kids to get some hands-on experience with animals and farm living, Old McDonald’s Farm is a great place to learn. But remember: It’s not a petting zoo. Even with our small group, Rickert maintained control with an iron glove. She sternly corrected the boys for a number of infractions, from interrupting to wandering off task to using incorrect grammar. “This is an educational program,” she explained. “We want to help kids become kind, caring and capable,” to respect themselves, others and the world in which we live.
Perhaps I was expecting a more typical play-centered activity without such a focus on discipline, but I have to admit, it worked. The boys all learned a lot during our two hours on the farm, and they seemed eager to return, whether for more chores or summer camp. They were enthusiastic about sharing what they learned when we got home and, most importantly, they seemed genuinely proud of themselves and the work they accomplished on the farm.
If You Go:
Old McDonald’s Farm offers educational day visit programs for small and large groups; an overnight “Farmer for a Day” package; and summer farm and horse camps through August (transportation from downtown Portland provided). Call to schedule a day visit; check the Web site for information on the “Farmer for a Day” package or camp details. 1001 SE Evans Rd, Corbett. www.oldmcdonaldsfarm.org. 503-695-3316.
Emily Puro is a Portland freelance writer and mom.
